Dismountable construction



Nov. 10, 1964 J. ALBERTI DISMOUNTABLE CONSTRUCTION Filed June 1, 1962 United States Patent.

3,156,329 DISMOUNTABLE CONSTRUCTION Jacques Alberti, 14 Chemin de Lucinge, Lausanne, Switzerland Filed June 1, 1962, Ser. No. 199,286 Claims priority, application Switzerland June 3, 1%1 Claims. (Cl. 189-455) The present invention relates to dismountable assemblies constituted of elements nested one into the other.

It is an object of the invention to provide improvements in dismountable assemblies and the invention is characterized in that all the elements of each of the assemblies are identical and are each constituted by a rigid triangle of fixed shape, wherein each element has at least two apex female nesting means, and further includes male nesting means adapted to cooperate with the female nesting means of two adjacent elements to immobilize the same.

The accompanying drawing shows, by way of example, an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of an element according to the invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are views on a larger scale, partly in section, of details of the element shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view in elevation on a smaller scale of an assembly of elements.

FIGS. 5 to 7 are plan views of various shape bases for the assembly shown in FIG. 4.

The assembly shown in FIG. 4 is of general prismatic shape, and comprises identical, triangular elements, nested one in the other.

Each triangular element is constituted by three tubes 1, 2 and 3 welded one to the other (FIG. 1). The tube 1 forms the vertical side of the triangle. The tube is extended at one end by a male nesting rod 4, the other end of the tube being open so as to be able to receive a rod similar to the rod 4 of an adjacent element. The rod 4 is tubular as shown in FIG. 2 but it may also be solid.

The apex of the triangle opposite the vertical tube 1 carries female nesting means including a cylindrical sleeve 5 integral with a member 7 to which are soldered the ends of the tubes 2 and 3. The member 7 extends parallel to the vertical tube 1. The cylindrical sleeve 5 has an inner diameter equal to the diameter of the rod 4.

The erection of the assembly shown in FIG. 4 and the foundation of which is assumed to be square as shown in FIG. 6, is effected in the following manner:

Four bases or pedestals 6 are placed on the ground at the corners of the square. angular elements are nested in each pedestal 6 so that the sleeve 5 of an element is just above the vertical tube 1 of the neighboring elements. The next four elements are nested in succession in juxtaposition to the first four elements so that the rod 4 of the element to be nested passes through the sleeve 5 of the lower element and then enters into the vertical tube 1 located below the sleeve as previously described.

As many superposed elements can then be nested in succession as will be necessary to obtain an assembly of general prismatic shape of the desired number of stories. The number of the sides of the base polygon corresponding to the number of triangular elements nested per story. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the base polygon may be octagonal or triangular.

The construction shown in FIG. 4 includes five elements assembled atop one another and is five elements high. At the top of the uppermost element of the assembly are U-shaped support members 8 which are ad- The rods 4 of respective trijustable in height, for example by screwing, andadapted to support the beams 9 of a frame-work.

In a modification of the construction described, instead of being secured in the lower end of the tube 1, the nesting rod 4 could be secured in the upper end of this tube.

In another modification not shown, the triangular elements .would be identical to that of the elements described but in each of which the vertical tube 1 would be open at both ends, that is to say, would only comprise female nesting means, and the apex opposite to the tube 1 would have male nesting means constituted by a vertical rod capable of cooperating with an underlying element and an overlying element.

An embodiment constituted of a triangular element with female nesting means at the three apexes, is also possible, in which case, the male nesting means would be constituted by removable rods adapted to be inserted in the female nesting means of elements of one or several stories of the assembly.

The dismountable assembly described has numerous applications, in particular for the propping of frameworks for fiagstones, for bridges, etc.

An advantage of this dismountable assembly is that it has great rigidity due to the fact that, on the one hand, each element is rigid by its triangular shape and that, on the other hand, the method of nesting of the elements one into the other permits producing a rigid triangulated installation. This rigidity of the construction renders superfluous any additional stiffening devices, such as stiffening bars.

What I claim is:

l. A dismountable assembly constituted of elements nested one into the other, all the elements being identical and each constituted of a triangle of rigid shape, each element including at least two apexes of the triangle female nesting means, and further including male nesting means for cooperating with the female nesting means of two adjacent elements to connect the elements together.

2. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein said male nesting means of each elements is integral with the third apex of the respective triangular element and includes a rod colinear with one of the sides of the element and having a suflicient length to ensure the nesting of the rod in at least two adjacent elements.

3. An assembly according to claim 2, wherein each element is constituted by tubes soldered one to the other, said nesting rod projecting from one of the ends of one of the tubes, said tube having an opposite end which constitutes one of the female nesting means and which is adapted for the nesting of the rod of an adjacent element, the other of the female nesting means being located at the apex of the element opposite the vertical tube, the latter means comprising a cylindrical sleeve With a vertical axis for the nesting of a rod ofan adjacent element.

4. An assembly according to claim 1 of general prismatic shape and having a base polygon and a plurality of stories each constituted by a number of nested triangular elements, the sides of the base polygon corresponding to the number of the nested triangular elements for each story.

5. A construction element comprising a hollow tube having opposite ends, a pair of members connected to said tube adjacent the ends thereof, means connecting said members together remote from said tube to form a rigid element of triangular shape, the latter means including a sleeve having an opening lying in a plane per- 3 4 pendicular to said tube, the construction element further References Cited by the Examiner comprising a rod axially projecting from one of the UNI E A ES PA S ends of said tube a distance sufficient to permit the rod 453,148 5 /91 Kiler et aL to extend through the sleeve of a second identical con- 5 2,042,110 5/36 Leckey 182-179 struction element and into the tube of a third identical 2,311,988 2/43 Lavin 18915.5

construction element for connecting together three juxta- JACOB L NACKENOFF Primary Examiner P086d elements RICHARD w. COOKE, m, Examiner. 

1. A DISMOUNTABLE ASSEMBLY CONSTITUTED OF ELEMENTS NESTED ONE INTO THE OTHER, ALL THE ELEMENTS BEING IDENTICAL AND EACH CONSTITUTED OF A TRIANGLE OF RIGID SHAPE, EACH ELEMENT INCLUDING AT LEAST TWO APEXES OF THE TRIANGLE FEMALE NESTING MEANS, AND FURTHER INCLUDING MALE NESTING MEANS FOR COOPERATING WITH THE FEMALE NESTING MEANS OF TWO ADJACENT ELEMENTS TO CONNECT THE ELEMENTS TOGETHER. 